


gossip

by thegirlwithmanynames



Category: Koe no Katachi
Genre: Gen, Ishida/Nishimiya implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 23:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10909932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlwithmanynames/pseuds/thegirlwithmanynames
Summary: It's not a conversation between sisters if it doesn't involve at least some gossip.





	gossip

“He’s not  _good_ enough for you!”

Shouko’s wide eyes stare back at her, questioning and curious.

Her frustrated sigh comes out rough and ragged and even her sister can hear that much, she knows. The frown on her face practically digs itself permanently into her expression as she repeats herself, both aloud and signing this time.

Sullenly, she kicks at a rock as her sister turns a violent shade of red and lets out a squawk, quickly and frantically signing  _I don’t know who you’re talking about_.

“Duh, who else?  _Tuesday-san_ ,” she says, hand gestures lazy, sarcasm evident in their movement.

_I don’t like him like that_ , comes Shouko’s immediate response, looking away so that her hair does some of the work in covering her blush.

A feeling of happiness like a flower blooming in spring warms her chest, but jealousy singes the edges of the flower’s petals, souring the beauty of it. Her big sister’s been wearing so many more expressions recently, and they all make her face light up like Yuzuru’s never seen before.

But they’re all thanks to  _him_ , and she can never forgive that, no matter how nice he tries to play.

“But you _do_ like him,” she says, her movements sharp as her words. She may be giving in to her sister’s whims now, but she won’t let it go for long. “ _Why_?” _  
_

_I…_ Shouko falters, her hands stilling in the air before her. For a moment, she looks lost, wayward fingers tugging at the sleeve of her cardigan. Then, a small smile pulls her thin lips upwards.  _He’s nice, isn’t he? He doesn’t have to talk to me, but he does anyway_.

“That’s not a good reason!” Yuzuru explodes, skidding to a stop and dragging her sister with her. It’s dusk, the little light left in the sky illuminating their conversation as they walk home. No one else walks this stretch of the street, so her words, spoken and signed, are theirs alone.

“You can’t like him just because he talks to you,  _stupid_!” she shouts like she’s young and having a tantrum, as if the more angrily she speaks the more likely it is her sister will hear. Her hands almost blur with how quickly she signs through the words. “That doesn’t make up for everything before! That’s not even a good enough reason to like someone new, you’re better than that!”

Shouko just smiles as if she doesn’t get it. Yuzuru wants to kick her so that she understands.

_I still remember how he was before_ , she signs, more peaceably.  _I hated that boy. But that’s not who he is anymore. He’s changed because he learned what he did was wrong._

She pauses for a moment, putting one hand on Yuzuru’s shoulder and squeezing gently. It’s supposed to be reassuring, calming, but she only pouts.

_So I can forgive him for that. And so can you. Otherwise we’d be just as wrong as he was back then. We can get to know the person he is now, right?_  

“That’s not an excuse for those eyes he gives you,” Yuzuru grumbles. Her sister’s eyes widen and her lips purse in an unmistakeable attempt to hide a smile.

She’s ignoring the point again. Can’t Shouko see she’s trying to be serious?!

_Does he really?_

Most people don’t understand the complexities of sign language. They just see it as a bunch of hand movements, and they’re not wrong. But Yuzuru’d be damned if she couldn't  _hear_ the hope in her sister’s gestured sentence, if she couldn’t see the happiness making the movements bouncier. 

“You  _do_ like him, then!” she accuses, ignoring the question. She doesn’t want to talk about how Ishida looks at Shouko like she hangs the moon, how he takes care of Yuzuru herself even when she’s an ass towards him, and how, as much as she wishes it were the opposite, he doesn’t seem to be faking any of it. “Do you want him to kiss you on the bridge?!”

Shouko squawks again, turning pink. “ _Ujuu_!” she exclaims, hiding behind her hands.

“You  _do_!”

There’s a pause, and then Shouko nods, still behind her hands.

“Why?”

Her eyes peek out from in between her fingers, and then she slowly drags her hands away from her face, pulling down on her cheeks.  _He’s cute_ , she signs, as if that explains things.  _He cares about the little things. He brought bread for me when he didn’t have to. He learned sign language to talk to me._

_I learned sign language to talk to you_ , Yuzuru signs back without speaking this time, but the pout on her face says it all.

Shouko giggles, a loud sound followed by several soft snorts.  _You’re my sister_ , she says, raising her eyebrows,  _it’s different_.

“Only because you want him to kiss you,” she retorts, and gets a playful shove to her shoulder for her trouble as Shouko starts walking again.

“Hey!” she calls, despite knowing her sister won’t turn around, and jogs to catch up with her. When they’re side by side again, Yuzuru looks up at her sister.

_I’ll kill him if he hurts you again_ , she signs, dead seriously. She means it more than she’s ever meant anything in her entire life.

Shouko shakes her head, smiling gently.  _You won’t have to. I’ll be all right._

Wrapping an arm around her sister’s waist and leaning against her side, Yuzuru hopes beyond hope that her sister is telling the truth.

In any case, she’ll _make_ it the truth, for her sister’s sake.


End file.
